Library Explorer: A Voyage Toward Self-Directed Learning
Introduction
When explorers like Marquette and Jolliet or Lewis and Clark began their adventures, they did not know what each day would bring. Academic librarians who provide instruction in the 1990s are like the early explorers who coped with the new and the unknown as they ventured into the wilderness.
Academic libraries have shifted from being repositories of print materials to being hybrid institutions that both collect printed materials and provide access to digital information. The Internet and the Web have changed the way people communicate, study and do research. The student population on campus is more diverse, and more students are taking courses through distance education programs. Library budgets have decreased and fewer staff can be hired. Library administrators have discovered that they need other types of professionals in addition to librarians on their staff. The role of technology in education has become an important issue on campus. More databases and on-line catalogs are becoming Web-based. Software and hardware quickly become obsolete. These and other changes in the academic environment have caused librarians involved in instruction to question old approaches and to try new methods and media in order to enhance their instructional services and products. Library Explorer (http://www.lib.uiowa.edu/libexp/) is one example of a new approach to instruction undertaken at the University of Iowa Libraries.
Section snippets
Background
According to the University of Iowa Libraries' Strategic Plan, “Information and instructional services are designed and delivered using various methodologies to meet current and changing information needs for a diverse university community in support of teaching, learning, research, and service” (The University of Iowa Libraries, 1995, Goal 1). Course-related instruction, handouts, and tours are methods librarians traditionally employed to teach students how to find information.
Library Navigator
Library Navigator was the first computer-assisted learning product to be developed. The development team, consisting of three reference librarians plus the systems analyst, began working on the project in October 1990. The reference librarians provided content for the program. The systems analyst led the group through the various steps of the instructional design process and developed the program using HyperCard software. Library Navigator made its debut in July 1991. It was available on two
Library Explorer
The Computer-Assisted Instruction Task Force had recommended that the Libraries also develop a computer-based product that would provide instruction in the use of library resources and search strategies. In 1990, the University Libraries applied for and received an Instructional Computing Award, which provided professional expertise in instructional design and software development from the campus' computing center. This award lead to the development of Library Explorer.
Library Explorer is a CAI
Future
Library Explorer is an ever-changing product, and new features are being developed to increase its usefulness. A section highlighting the most important reference tools in various subject areas is being created. Also a chapter on the Internet and its place in the research process is being designed. Not all students taking distance education classes have Internet access, and because Library Explorer would be beneficial for them, the content of Explorer will soon also be available on a CD-ROM.
Summary
The 1990s have been years of exhilarating but unpredictable change. This change has provided librarians with opportunities to experiment with different ways to deliver instruction to reach students both on and off campus. The development of Library Explorer has given University of Iowa students one more way to learn about the Libraries and about the research process.
References (2)
Rhetoric Guidelines: Policies and procedures for teachers (1996–1997)
(1996)Strategic Plan
Cited by (1)
A race against the clock: Re-tooling the tutorial–what happens when your library gets a new online catalog?
2002, Technical Services Quarterly